Crockpot Cinnamon Applesauce Recipe (2025)

FAQs

How do you add cinnamon to store bought applesauce? ›

Start by toasting a half-teaspoon of your favorite ground baking spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice) in a small skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl to stop the cooking, then stir in a pinch or two of the spice into your applesauce, adding more to taste.

Cinnamon adds to the cozy, warm flavors of the applesauce and also provides a boost in antioxidants for more disease-fighting benefits. And of course, when it's homemade, there's no preservatives or unnecessary added sugar!

Spices: I use a cinnamon stick, star anise, and vanilla extract for my homemade applesauce. The combination tastes amazing. Lemon: Lemon juice keeps the apples from turning brown and balances their sweetness. The best applesauce is both sweet and tart, and lemon juice helps achieve that.

Once they have cooled slightly, remove the cinnamon sticks and mash the apples with a fork or back of a spoon. Allow the mixture to cool completely before placing it in a sealed jar. The applesauce will last in the refrigerator for a week or two and you can freeze it for later too!

Whether it's rice pilaf or a chickpea curry, add a cinnamon stick to your pan while you sauté the onions and garlic, allowing it to infuse its flavor during the entire cooking process. Remove cinnamon sticks before serving.

Turn Up the Heat

Don't be afraid to add spice—real spice—to your applesauce. Test kitchen assistant Brad Leone uses cayenne pepper and grated ginger, which both play well with cinnamon and nutmeg. Another way to add heat? Deputy editor Scott Desimon adds a splash of whiskey to wake it up.

"The seeds are tannic," Martinez explains. "Cooking them with the apples will impart a bitter flavor."

For a basic applesauce, use McIntosh and Golden Delicious apples. Golden Delicious is a soft apple variety with a mellow flavor, so it cooks down easily and provides a great foundation for your applesauce. McIntosh apples are slightly tart and crisp, but soften easily, making them a stellar choice for pies and sauces.

Mix 1 teaspoon carob powder or cinnamon powder with 1/2 cup applesauce (use half this amount for children). Cinnamon has antimicrobial, demulcent (soothing), and astringent (tissue-tightening) properties to help fight infections, tighten tissue, and stop diarrhea. Eat several times per day or until symptoms resolve.

Like many spices, cinnamon has been said to worsen acid reflux symptoms, especially when eaten in large amounts. However, no research currently proves that cinnamon causes or worsens acid reflux. It's likewise unlikely to alleviate this condition.

Does homemade applesauce go bad? ›

Homemade applesauce can be refrigerated for a week to ten days; it can also be frozen or canned for longer-term storage. Mott's recommends its applesauce to be used within ten days of opening.

You can mix 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon with a teaspoon or two of honey, and stir it up very well so that the mixture becomes homogeneous as much as possible. Then slowly add the water or tea while stirring the mixture. A cup of mixture prepared this way will make a perfect drink.

Mix some cinnamon powder with sugar, then sprinkle it on buttered toast. It can also be a delicious topping for sweet potatoes. Or you can use it to spice up plain yogurt or your morning coffee. Simply combine 2 teaspoons of cinnamon into 1 cup of granulated sugar and keep it in a sealed container.

Cinnamon added at the time of cooking increases the anti-inflammatory components and offers an insulin modifying role that helps counteract the impact of consuming cooked apples (cooking increases the release of fruit sugars). The almonds provide protein and immune benefits when eaten with skins on.